Nancy Cunard, the hyper-chic shipping heiress-turned-political activist, was the inspiration for Bibhu Mohapatra’s Spring 2015 collection. He channeled her jubilant spirit, and her strides for equality at a time when such strides were hardly popular. “I’m not interested in girls who are simply charming or pretty,” Mohapatra said. “Whether it’s a career, or raising a family, or charity work, I love dressing interesting women that do something!”

Cunard has always been considered a precursor to the late YSL muse Loulou de la Falaise, all stacked bangles, head scarves, androgeny-chic trousers, and bohemian and ethnic influences. Mohapatra, however, looked beyond the noisy ebony Macassar and ivory bracelets—”that’d be too obvious”—and instead channeled Cunard’s essence with ostrich feathers, and menswear-inspired jackets shrugged over evening gowns and party dresses. An element of craft is cleverly deployed throughout the collection to evoke Nancy’s far-flung travels and fiery passion for exotic cultures, as seen in a bold grid print and a handwoven mix of shredded leather and silk.